Roll forming is a known process, in which a long strip of material is passed through sets of rollers, each set performing only an incremental part of the bend, until the desired cross-section profile is obtained. Most known methods of roll forming are ideal for producing constant-profile parts with long lengths and in large quantities, but are not well suited to forming multiple small components.
A method of roll forming small components is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,139. A lead frame holds a plurality of semiconductor devices. The lead frame and semiconductor devices are passed through a roll forming machine, then the devices are cut free from the lead frame as a final step.